Unless Vika pulls a retirement I don't see her losing this one. She has been playing well and seems determined to be year end number 1. Plus she has overall dominated Masha for the last what, 2 years?. Vika just has Masha's number lately. Masha needs a miracle

Looking at the race it's still possible for Sharapova to finish #1, but she has to win the YEC going 3-0 or 2-1 in RR stage at the minimum. If Azarenka makes the SF going 3-0 I think she'll clinch #1. As it is Azarenka has a 1100 point lead.

Maria is far more classy than somebody like Serena tbh. Only thing annoying is the grunting and the ridiculous come ons when opponent UEs. Ballkids regularly point her out as the polite one.

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I'm not a huge fan of Serena, and it is not saying much to suggest that Maria has more class than a player who threatened to harm a lineswoman.

With that said, for a few reasons, such as the grunting, her attitude on court, her attitude off court (that the fans can still see), and her one dimensional game, I dislike her as a player. Perhaps she is a wonderful person and friend, but that has nothing to do with me.

Sharapova is so one dimensional, constantly hitting with the same depth on the court and with the same pace. She can still hit through the defence of most of the players on the tour, but not Azarenka's, who reads her predictable play like a book.

Even if she serves well against Serena or Azarenka she loses to them. When she serves badly against them she gets destroyed.

I wonder how she will be judged if she does not defend her lone major in a few months? For example, Kvitova's disasterous failure to defend her Wimbledon title has many questioning her status as one of the "new forces" of the WTA. Azarenka may have enjoyed more "success" at the majors (by reaching the USO final in the same year she won the AO), but she too is a one-major wonder until she proves otherwise.

I wonder how she will be judged if she does not defend her lone major in a few months? For example, Kvitova's disasterous failure to defend her Wimbledon title has many questioning her status as one of the "new forces" of the WTA. Azarenka may have enjoyed more "success" at the majors (by reaching the USO final in the same year she won the AO), but she too is a one-major wonder until she proves otherwise.

Will she be questioned if she does not defend next year?

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Azarenka has steadily improved the past several years. Kvitova has kind of stagnated despite having advanced further at the AO and French.

I don't think Azarenka has to defend the AO to prove anything. Even Sampras and Serena needed over two years to win their second major. Djokovic needed three years. She's been solid all year and has handled the pressure much better than Kvitova and Wozniacki. I still think she retires/withdraws a bit too much for my liking, but she actually enjoys hunting and being hunted.

I wonder how she will be judged if she does not defend her lone major in a few months? For example, Kvitova's disasterous failure to defend her Wimbledon title has many questioning her status as one of the "new forces" of the WTA. Azarenka may have enjoyed more "success" at the majors (by reaching the USO final in the same year she won the AO), but she too is a one-major wonder until she proves otherwise.

Will she be questioned if she does not defend next year?

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I doubt it, because if she does go out, she will go deep in the tourney and fight till the end.

Azarenka (unlike Petra), had no letdown after winning, and has been rock solid all year apart from clay (and she reached 2 finals on clay, losing to Maria and Serena).

In fact, if not for Serena, Vika could have won 3 slams and Olympic gold this year.

She won me round this year. Still not a fan of some of her antics but she has been just what the game needed this year, along with Serena/Maria/Aga. These for could be the top 4 for a while.

Azarenka has steadily improved the past several years. Kvitova has kind of stagnated despite having advanced further at the AO and French.

I don't think Azarenka has to defend the AO to prove anything. Even Sampras and Serena needed over two years to win their second major. Djokovic needed three years. She's been solid all year and has handled the pressure much better than Kvitova and Wozniacki. I still think she retires/withdraws a bit too much for my liking, but she actually enjoys hunting and being hunted.

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Agreed, Azarenka is comfortable at the top, and enjoys the challenge of backing it up. Besides running into Vulturena (who is devouring top players for fun), she fully belives she is better than the rest.

I don't think Azarenka has to defend the AO to prove anything. Even Sampras and Serena needed over two years to win their second major. Djokovic needed three years. She's been solid all year and has handled the pressure much better than Kvitova and Wozniacki. I still think she retires/withdraws a bit too much for my liking, but she actually enjoys hunting and being hunted.

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Very true, aditionally, it wasn't like Azarenka was "THAT" particularly far away from winning her second major, she was 5-4 and serving for the match in the third set of the US Open.

It's true that she came out as the "loser" in this particular encounter but beyond all this, these are pretty much confirmations that Azarenka is definitively one to win plenty more majors in the future.

Who's really there to stop her after Serena ? Sharapova Lol, she eats her for break-fast -- Victoria owns all the field but Serena ; someone would be extremely stupid to bet that she willn't be clinching some many future majors starting from next year. Actually I have a feeling she'll defend her AO title, plexicushion is a surface that suits her game very well.

WTA has been surprisingly consistent this year, with the top 3 player Serena, Sharapova and Azarenka all playing very well. It's something very refreshing, especially after the disastrous era led by slamless world no. 1s such as Wozniacki, Jankovic and Safina.

Though I hope MaSha and Azarenka can step it up and challenge Serena more.

She won me round this year. Still not a fan of some of her antics but she has been just what the game needed this year, along with Serena/Maria/Aga. These for could be the top 4 for a while.

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I gained a bit of respect for her fighting spirit in the USO final, but the reason I wonder how she will be judged in the event she does not defend AO is that the women's game cannot rely on Serena forever, so it is in a crucial transitional period, in need of one to sell the idea that she will be a force beyond a major or possibly two (remember, some once thought the likes of Safin or Pierce were going to be bigger to their respective tours than they were capable of, but how did that play out?).

Further, Sharapova winning a FO was one of the biggest flukes in tennis history and despite a couple of deep runs, and she's aging, so who believes she will run with the torch for another 2 - 3 years?

That said, Azarenka is one of the new guard--and unlike fellow new guard member Kvitova--seems eager to go to war, so that combination leads observers to believe the future (at least the next 4 years) rests on her shoulders. This brings us back to this future being determined by the strengths of players at the majors--one who can bridge this transitional period and create their own. If Azarena does not repeat, for all of her 2012 success, she might appear to have hit a speedbump in her progress (which is not necessarily referring to Serena).

I gained a bit of respect for her fighting spirit in the USO final, but the reason I wonder how she will be judged in the event she does not defend AO is that the women's game cannot rely on Serena forever, so it is in a crucial transitional period, in need of one to sell the idea that she will be a force beyond a major or possibly two (remember, some once thought the likes of Safin or Pierce were going to be bigger to their respective tours than they were capable of, but how did that play out?).

Further, Sharapova winning a FO was one of the biggest flukes in tennis history and despite a couple of deep runs, and she's aging, so who believes she will run with the torch for another 2 - 3 years?

That said, Azarenka is one of the new guard--and unlike fellow new guard member Kvitova--seems eager to go to war, so that combination leads observers to believe the future (at least the next 4 years) rests on her shoulders. This brings us back to this future being determined by the strengths of players at the majors--one who can bridge this transitional period and create their own. If Azarena does not repeat, for all of her 2012 success, she might appear to have hit a speedbump in her progress (which is not necessarily referring to Serena).

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Good post. I find myself wondering often times how far Azarenka can go. Is she just another one slam wonder or is she on her way to leading the charge on the WTA tour for the foreseeable future?